Etymology

Fighting shark and crocodile, the emblem of Surabaya city applied since colonial times, derived from local folk etymology

Surabaya (Suroboyo) is locally believed to derive its name from the words "suro" (shark) and "boyo" (crocodile), two creatures which, in a local myth, fought each other in order to gain the title of "the strongest and most powerful animal" in the area. It was said that the two powerful animals agreed for a truce and set boundaries; that the shark's domain is in the sea while the crocodile's domain is in the land. However one day the shark swims into the river estuary to hunt, this angered the crocodile that went territorial. Shark argued that the river is a water-realm which means it is shark territory, while the crocodile argued that the river flows deep inland, so it belongs to crocodile. The fight resumes ferociously as the two animals biting each other. Finally the shark was badly bitten and fled to the open sea, so the crocodile finally rules the estuarine area that today is the city.3

Another source suggests to a Jayabaya prophecy — a 12th-century psychic king of Kediri Kingdom — as he foreseen a fight between a giant white shark and a giant white crocodile took place in the area, which is sometimes interpreted as a conflict between Mongol forces and Raden Wijaya's Majapahit forces in 1293.4 Now the two animals are used as the city's symbol, the two facing each other while circling, as depicted in a statue appropriately located near the entrance to the city zoo.

Alternate derivations proliferate: from the Javanese "sura ing baya", meaning "bravely facing danger";4 or from the use of "surya" to refer to the sun. Some people consider this Jayabaya's prophecy as a great war between native Surabayan people against the foreign invaders back in 1945. Another story tells about two heroes that fought each other in order to be the king of the city. The two heroes were named Sura and Baya. These folk etymologies, though embraced enthusiastically by its people and city leaders, are unverifiable.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Surabaya was a sultanate and a major political and military power in eastern Java. It entered a conflict with, and was later captured by, the more powerful Sultanate of Mataram in 1625 under Sultan Agung. It was one of Mataram's fiercest campaigns, in which they had to conquer Surabaya's allies, Sukadana and Madura, and to lay siege to the city before capturing it. With this conquest, Mataram then controlled almost the whole of Java, with the exception of the Sultanate of Banten and the Dutch settlement of Batavia.citation needed

Handelstraat, Surabaya in the 1930s: subsequently the Jembatan Merah area.

The expanding East Indies Companies took the city over from a weakened Mataram in November 1743. Surabaya became a major trading center under the Dutch colonial government, and hosted the largest naval base in the colony. Surabaya was also the largest city in the colony serving as the center of Java's plantation economy, industry and were supported by its natural harbor.7 In 1917, a revolt occurred among the soldiers and sailors of Surabaya, led by the Indies Social Democratic Association. The revolt was firmly crushed and the insurgents given harsh sentences.citation needed

The Battle of Surabaya, one of the well-known battles of the Indonesian revolution, started after the Arek-Arek Suroboyo (Teenagers of Surabaya) killed of the British Brigadier Mallaby on October 30, 1945 near Jembatan Merah (the "Red Bridge"), allegedly by a stray bullet. The Allies gave an ultimatum to the republicans inside the city to surrender, but they refused. The ensuing battle, which cost thousands of lives, took place on November 10, which Indonesians subsequently celebrate as Heroes' Day (Hari Pahlawan). The incident of the red-white flag (the Dutch flag at the top of Yamato Hotel's tower that was torn into the Indonesian red-white flag) by Bung Tomo is also recorded as a heroic feat during the struggle of this city.

The Adhiwangsa, The Via & Vue, Taman Beverly, Trillium and Water Place Residences are five of the tallest skyscrapers in Surabaya, along with the BRI Tower, BII Tower and Graha Pena.

Surabaya is a major shopping destination for Indonesians, with several large malls.

Surabaya is home to the Eastern Fleet, one of two fleets in the Indonesian Navy. Its strong maritime heritage is also represented in a form of KRI Pasopati Submarine Monument, a retired Russian Whiskey class submarine.89

In June 2011, Surabaya got the Adipura Kencana Award as number one among 20 cities in Indonesia. Surabaya today has some wide sidewalks and parks as a miniature of Singapore -being clean and green- said one reporter from Singapore. 10

Attractions

Surabaya's zoo, opened in 1916, was the first in the world to have successfully bred orangutans in captivity. Other points of interest include:

Cheng Ho Mosque, a recently built mosque, the first in Indonesia with Chinese-style architecture.

Grand Mosque of Surabaya or Al-Akbar Mosque, the largest mosque in East Java.citation needed

Heroic Monument (Tugu Pahlawan), a 41 meter high monument, is the main symbol of Surabaya and commemorates the heroes of the revolutionary struggle. There is a museum on location as well, showing remainders of the struggle for independence.

House of Sampoerna, a museum devoted to the history of clove cigarette (kretek) manufacturing in Indonesia, housed in Dutch colonial buildings dating to 1864.11

A Soviet-built Whiskey class submarine (named KRI Pasopati (410)), first launched in 1952, served in the Indonesian Navy from 1962 until decommissioned in 1990.12 After her decommissioning, Pasopati was dismantled and transferred to its present site in 1996. The submarine was reassembled on its current site and opened as museum and tourist attraction in 1998.

Museum Nahdlatul Ulama is a resource center of culture and history of Nahdatul Ulama, an independent Islamic religious organization.

Shopping

Surabaya is a major shopping destination for Indonesians, and there are several large shopping malls in the city such as BG Junction, Ciputra World Surabaya, City Of Tomorrow, Galaxy Mall, Grand City, Jembatan Merah Plaza, Kapas Krampung Plaza, Lenmarc, Plaza Surabaya, Plaza Tunjungan, Royal Plaza Surabaya, Supermal Pakuwon Indah, and Surabaya Town Square.

Hi-Tech Mall, WTC, and Plasa Marina are the major shopping centers in Surabaya for gadgets, computers and mobile phones.

In West Surabaya, Citraland by the Ciputra Group and Graha Family consists of residences, an apartment complex, a golf course and a climbing gym.

In East Surabaya, Pakuwon City by the Pakuwon Group has its own dining out spot, called Food Festival, and it is developing more facilities, such as the East Coast Center.

Climate

Surabaya features a tropical wet and dry climate, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The city's wet season runs from November through June, while the dry season covers the remaining five months. Unlike a number of cities and regions with a tropical wet and dry climate, average high and low temperatures are very consistent throughout the course of the year, with an average high temperature of around 31 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of around 26 degrees Celsius.

Transport

Ujung passenger Port

Transportation in Surabaya is supported by land and sea infrastructure serving local, regional, and international trips (air transport actually is located in Juanda Airport, Sedati, Sidoarjo). In city transport is primarily by motor vehicles, motorcycles and taxis. Some public bus transport is available. Surabaya, is also a transit city between Jakarta and Bali for ground transportation. Another bus route is between Jakarta and the neighboring island of Madura.

Seaports

Tanjung Perak is the main port of the city and is one of the busiest ports in the country. It is one of the top ten busiest cargo ports in Southeast Asia.citation needed Although much of the port cargo is traditionally administered, the port is also used to carry modern cargo ships worldwide up to 2nd generation of maximum 1,000 teus ships. Currently, the port has being dredged for 14 meters depth to serve 10,000 teus ships of 5th generation ships and predicted will be finished in mid-2015, while 16 meters depth with width 200 meters can serve 15,000 teus ships or 7th generation ships will be finished in mid-2016. Today the biggest international ships is the 9th generation ships.16 The other port in the region is located in Gresik, a city 22 km from the Surabaya city centre. As a part of Tanjung Perak Port, in May 2014 a new Teluk Lamong Green Sea Port began trial run operation with two Ship to Shore Crane (STS) units, five Automated Stacking Crane (ASC) units, and one Automotive Terminal Tractor (ATT) unit. The new facilities will primarily serve international shipping, predicted to be 7 ships per week, and any unused capacity can be used to support domestic shipping. The new facilities will use less paper and will use gas trucks to carry containers in the port area.1718 In January 2015, dry bulk port will be built with 250 meters piers and predicted will be finished in one year to accommodate up to 14 LWS international ships. The port will be provided with 2 units of "Ship Unloader" complete with conveyor and 8 hectares warehouse. The dry bulk terminal will occupies 26 hectares and supporting by 36 hectares supporting area with capacity of 20,000,000 tonnes.19

Suramadu Bridge

The Suramadu Bridge connects Surabaya and Madura Island over the Madura Strait. Suramadu is an abbreviation of Surabaya-Madura.A 16-kilometer highway will be built from the Suramadu Bridge to Madura International Seaport-City (MIS-C) in Pernajuh village, Kocah district, Bangkalan, Madura at a cost of approximately Rp60 billion (USD 7 billion). This container port was built to ease the burden on Surabaya's overloaded Tanjung Perak Port.20

Economy

The city is one of the busiest ports in the country. Its principal exports include sugar, tobacco and coffee. It has a large shipyard, and numerous specialized naval schools.

As the provincial capital, Surabaya is also home to many offices and business centres. Surabaya's economy is also influenced by the recent growth in foreign industries and the completion of the Suramadu bridge. Surabaya is currently in the process of building high rise skyscrapers such as apartments, condominiums, and hotels as a way of attracting foreign people to the city.

Surabaya is the main trading port in East Java. Enriched by its facilities, and geography advantages, Surabaya has great economic potential.

Demographics

Surabaya is the second most populous city in Indonesia, after Jakarta, with 2,765,908 recorded in the chartered city limits (kota) in 2010 census.21 Like many other large Indonesian metropolises, many residents reside outside the city limits in a metropolitan area called Gerbangkertosusila. The city is highly urbanized, due to the many industries located in the city, resulting in many slum areas. As the main education center, Surabaya has been the home for many students from around Indonesia, thus they have created their own community.

The majority of Surabaya citizens work in retail, whether in the expensive stores in the center city or the many small shops and stalls throughout the metropolis.

Surabaya is an old city that has expanded over time, and its population still grows at approximately 1.2% per year. In recent years, people have been moving from the crowded city center to suburban subdivisions featuring golf courses and strict security.

Language

Most citizens speak a dialect of Javanese called Suroboyoan, sub-dialect of Arekan dialect. A stereotype of this dialect concerns its equality and directness in speech. The usage of register is less strict than the Central Javan dialect. The Surabaya dialect is actively promoted in local media, such as in local TV shows, radio and traditional dramas called Ludruk. Besides, Chinese Indonesians of Surabaya also speak Chinese languages like Hokkien and Hakka.

Religion

The city is the home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Surabaya. There are approximately 15 churches in Surabaya, both large and small. One of the first churches in Surabaya, is Kepanjen Church (Gereja Katolik Kelahiran Santa Perawan Maria), built in 1815 is also the oldest church in Surabaya and one of the oldest churches in Indonesia. The cathedral in Surabaya, is Hati Kudus Yesus, located in Polisi Istimewa 17 road.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Surabaya is one of the largest diocese with more than 150,000 members in the diocese it self, and one of the most fastest growing in Indonesia.

Protestanism

Bethany Indonesian Church: In 2000, Graha Bethany Nginden conducted a soft opening at the same time doubling the Church Seminar International (SPGI). This place can accommodate 35,000 members of the congregation.

Bethany Indonesian Church Synod, or Bethany is an incorporated church Synod of Indonesia and based in Surabaya. Bethany is one church with charismatic theology with a Pentecostal denomination. This church is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Indonesia (PII). The Bethany Indonesian Church has now become one of the largest church in Indonesia, with over than 120,000 branch churches in Indonesia, and more than 800,000 members. It has more branches in Australia, America, Europe and many countries as like Macau, China.citation needed Bethany Indonesian Church, acknowledged, accepted, and set the Apostles' Creed as the Confession of Faith Church Bethany Indonesia.

Mawar Sharon Church: Surabaya is also the base of one of Asia's largest Megachurches. Gereja Mawar Sharon is a non-denominational charismatic church with over 30 churches in Indonesia and over 40,000 churchgoers every week. Gereja Mawar Sharon or Mawar Sharon Church has been holding major events in Surabaya such as Surabaya For Jesus, Asia For Jesus, Festival Kuasa Allah (Festival of God's Power) and many more. It has the largest Christian youth group of over 8000 weekly attendance. In Surabaya itself, Mawar Sharon Church have over 17,000 church members.citation needed

Orthodox Christianity

The city is also home to the Orthodox Christian Center Surabaya which was opened on 15 October 2008 by Father Yohanes Bambang Cahyo Wicaksono an Orthodox Priest.23 The city is also home to two Orthodox Christian Community centres and there are plans to establish a kindergarten, High School and University in the medium term. The head Orthodox Church in Indonesia, St Nikolas is also based in Surabaya.24 On 12 January a new Orthodox Orthodox Community center was opened in the Dinoyo district, beside St. Nikolaos Orthodox Church.25

Judaism:

Judaism

Surabaya was the location of the only synagogue in Java, but it rarely obtained a minyan. This synagogue however has been demolished in protests and riots related to Palestine-Israeli conflict.citation needed There is also a Jewish cemetery in the city.2627

Sports

The city has one football club currently competing in the Indonesian Super League, called Persebaya. Persebaya is considered as one of the most successful clubs in Indonesia, having won the Indonesian Premier Division twice. Its fans refer to themselves as Bonek, an abbreviation for Bondo Nekat (somehow can be translated as "dare to die"). The Bonek have been well known for their strong loyalty to the club, and is also perceived as the representation of the braveness of the citizens of Surabaya.